This invention relates generally to an improved device for holding drinks through suspension of the device within a vehicle, such as an automobile and the like. The term cup as used throughout is intended to encompass any beverage holder, as for example cans, glasses, bottles and cups as we normally think of same.
Living in a fast-paced society, it is often desirable to drink a beverage "on the run". For example, one may purchase a cup of coffee at a drive-up window of a "fast food" restaurant, and wish to continue driving while drinking the coffee in the confines of his vehicle It is, of course, inconvenient, as well as dangerous, to simply set the cup on the vehicle seat, or even the dashboard. Various designs have been proposed for securing the cup within the vehicle.
Generally, most vehicle cup holders fit into one of two categories. Either the cup holder comprises a recess within an accessory unit, typically disposed along the vehicle floor between the passengers, or a basket hung along a portion of the vehicle. It should be recognized, that either of these designs has the common feature of being fixed to a portion of the vehicle so that abrupt stops or turns made by the vehicle are likely to cause spilling and splashing of the liquid. One of the more popular designs, in the latter of the two categories mentioned above, employs the concept of hanging a basket which conforms to a cup or the like adjacent to a vehicle door via an upright arm attached to the basket. This design is well-suited for rural driving in which sudden stops and starts, as well as frequent turns, are not often encountered. In the city, however, where such stopping, starting and frequent turning is not uncommon, such movements by the vehicle can result in the jarring of the basket holder by the door itself, resulting in oscillatory wave-like movement of the liquid within the cup. Since the holder is fixed to the door, when the cup contains any substantial amount of liquid, the above-mentioned stops and/or turns will inevitably cause spilling and splashing of the liquid out of the cup.
Also in all of the foregoing designs, there is a relatively deep well or basket into which the cup is seated. Sometimes, a cup or can gets "hung up" in such a retainer when the user tries to remove it. This in itself can cause spills or can cause the holder to become accidentally dislodged from its mount.